Bass of the Week: Blasius Bali Fretless 4-String
Hungarian boutique bass shop Blasius designed their Bali model for players who prefer a more classical sounding instrument. Knowing versatility is key, they also included electronics to give it the ability to sound modern, too. Here’s a gorgeous fretless 4-string version of the Bali, built with an 8-piece body of ash, maple and walnut. The bolt-on neck is a 9-piece...
New Grass: An Interview With Missy Raines
You wouldn’t typically think of bluegrass bass as pushing the limits, but Missy Raines isn’t your typical bluegrass bassist. A seven time winner of the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Bass Player of the Year Award, her penchant for musical experimentation took her from a traditional bluegrass background to a more progressive style that draws from jazz, pop, and a little...
Ozzy Osbourne with Geezer Butler: Paranoid, Live in Philadelphia (1989)
Ozzy Osbourne tapped his former Black Sabbath buddy Geezer Butler in 1988 to join him for his “No Rest for the Wicked” World Tour. Along with a young Zakk Wylde on guitar and drummer Randy Castillo, the group tore the roof off of the Tower Theatre in Philadelphia on June 4th, 1989 with the Sabbath classic “Paranoid.”
Mono Cases Unveils Vertigo Top-Loading Bass Guitar Case
Mono Cases has unveiled the Vertigo, which they state is the world’s first top-loading instrument case. Available in bass and guitar models, the design unzips from the headstock down on both sides for quicker access to your axe. The company’s Headlock neck suspension system got a redesign for the Vertigo and no longer requires strapping or buckling. It works by...
Phil Lesh Done With Recording, Continues Touring With Furthur
Sounds like Phil Lesh is done with studio albums. In a recent interview with Billboard, the 72 year old bassist said Furthur – his current effort with fellow Grateful Dead alumni Bob Weir – has no plans to record new albums, citing their focus on continually evolving music. “Nobody’s mentioned it to me, and certainly it’s not anything I’m interested...
Mesa Boogie Introduces Traditional Powerhouse Bass Cabinets
Mesa Boogie has introduced a new line of bass cabinets called the Traditional Powerhouse Series that offers up 2×10, 4×10, 1×15, 6×10, and 8×10 speaker configurations. Each of the cabs are handbuilt in Petaluma, California with Marine-grade Baltic Birch and are covered with Black Bronco Vinyl with a gray and black weave jute grille. The 2×10, 4×10, and 1×15 models...
The Who Announce “Quadrophenia” Tour – First North American Tour in Four Years
The Who have announced a major North American tour celebrating their 1973 double album Quadrophenia, which they will play in its entirety each night in addition to a selection of their greatest songs. Founding members Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend have tapped bassist Pino Palladino to fill the enormous shoes of John Entwistle, who passed away ten years ago. The...
Korg Releases TM-50 Combo Tuner Metronome
Korg has introduced the TM-50 combo tuner/metronome. The latest edition of the their TM series allows for using both the tuning and metronome functions simultaneously while including a newly designed LCD needle-type meter. The TM-50’s pitch detection ranges from C1 to C8 with a tempo range of 30 to 252 beats per minute. Other features include reference tone generation, 15...
Flea Releases Debut Solo EP, “Helen Burns”
Flea has released his debut solo album entitled Helen Burns on a pay-what-you-will basis and serving as a fundraiser for the Silverlake Conservatory of Music. Recorded over a couple of days after the Red Hot Chili Peppers finished touring Stadium Arcadium, the bassist explains the mostly instrumental EP is not what most fans will expect. “Warning! It is not a...
Bass of the Week: Hofner 500/1 Vintage 1963 Violin Bass
In 1955, Walter Hofner came up with the idea to make a short scale bass guitar with a violin-shaped hollow body. The idea came to life the next year at the Frankfurt trade show and made its rounds, eventually landing in the hands of Beatles member Paul McCartney, who had to switch from guitar to bass following the departure of...
Stories Behind the Songs: Joe Osborn
Where many bassists strive to have that one hit song, Joe Osborn has more chart-topping records than he can even keep track of. His signature tone – achieved with flatwound strings and a pick – underpins an overwhelming number of pop, rock, and country hits from the ’60s through the ’80s, and his resume reads like a who’s who of...
Craig Butterfield: Bass Quartet Arrangement of Frank Zappa’s “Peaches En Regalia”
We’re big fans of Frank Zappa here at No Treble HQ. So when Craig Butterfield sent in his all bass version of “Peaches En Regalia,” we were stoked. As is par for his videos, Butterfield nails all the parts with unbelievable accuracy. All of the percussion, bass lines, melodies and solos are perfectly in place, and in a fashion that...